Fiber Opportunity Map

Identifies census tracts across VA, KY, MD, PA, OH, and NY that are strong candidates for new fiber broadband builds.

Key Terms

BSL (Broadband Serviceable Location) — An FCC-designated address (home or small business) where fixed broadband can be installed. The unit of measurement for broadband availability.

Unserved — No provider offers at least 25/3 Mbps.

Underserved — Service available between 25/3 and 100/20 Mbps, but below the modern standard.

RUCC — USDA Rural-Urban Continuum Code (1=large metro, 9=very rural).

Opportunity Score (0–100)

Composite of four weighted components:

Supply Gap — 40%
Few/no fiber providers, high % of BSLs without fiber, heavy copper/DSL dependency, unserved + underserved concentration.

Demand Signal — 30%
Median household income, household density (BSL count), cellular-only rate (want service but can't get wired), adoption gap, population.

Funding Tailwind — 15%
Count and concentration of BEAD-eligible unserved and underserved BSLs — federal funding potential.

Build Feasibility — 15%
RUCC-based rural/suburban sweet spot scoring, BSL density (not too sparse, not too urban), low existing competition.

Color Scale

Low (20) → High (80)

Data Sources

FCC Broadband Data Collection (June 2024) • Census ACS 5-Year 2020–2024 • USDA Rural-Urban Continuum Codes 2023